Surrounded by 13 Newington High School students this morning, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal held an honest and open conversation about what he considers a very serious health threat facing young people - vaping.
“They are in very dangerous territory by beginning a lifetimes of addiction and disease involving vaping,” he said.
Blumenthal opened the conversation, educating the round table about the dangers of tobacco. He explained those marketing vape products are following familiar strategies.
“I view this vaping epidemic as part of big tobacco’s playbook, attempting to addict another generation to nicotine,” he said.
Recently the Connecticut Department of Public Health said vaping in high schools is becoming more prevalent. To curb that trend, understanding the issue from a teenager’s perspective is important.
“We’re living in it. Going to the bathroom we see it. Go to the park we see it. Go to fairs with our friends, we see it,” said Newington High School student Charles Connery.
Students voiced concern, saying the problem starts even before high school.
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“Since seventh grade I saw it, starting in the bathrooms and during eighth grade it really blew up,” said Newington High School student Efrain Colon.
It was a full day of education for these students. In addition to the Blumenthal roundtable, all students attended a presentation given by Tricia Dahl, a senior research assistant at Yale, who is an expert on the effects of e-cigarettes and adolescent substance abuse.
“I think the opportunity we just gave our students to hear more about the facts than the myths is really important,” added Principal Tara Tigno.
The conversation went both ways with students voicing their opinions on topics including flavors, addiction and age restrictions.
Students provided honest feedback. Some saying removing flavors would not solve the problem because the addiction is so strong. Others suggesting age limits would fail, because teens find ways around those.
“I think today really sharpened my understanding about the reasons that teens begin vaping,” said Blumenthal. “The adrenaline rush. The social pressure. The addiction. We’re dealing with a real monster.”
Newington High School will be taking this a step further. A parent night is scheduled October 3, in conjunction with the Newington Police Department and Human Services.
